Boy A (2007)

The story of a young Jack, newly released from serving a prison sentence for a violent crime he committed as a child.

Director:

John Crowley

Writers:

Jonathan Trigell (novel), Mark O'Rowe (screenplay)

Stars:

Andrew Garfield, Peter Mullan, Shaun Evans

13 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andrew Garfield	...	Jack Burridge
Peter Mullan	...	Terry
Siobhan Finneran	...	Kelly
Alfie Owen	...	Eric Wilson
Victoria Brazier	...	Teacher
Skye Bennett	...	Angela
Madeleine Rakic-Platt	...	Schoolgirl
Josef Altin	...	Bully
Dudley Brewis	...	2nd Bully
Leigh Symonds	...	Eric's Dad
Maria Gough	...	Eric's Mum
Taylor Doherty	...	Philip Craig
Jeremy Swift	...	Dave
Shaun Evans	...	Chris
Carlene Hanson	...	Waitress

Storyline

A young man is released from prison after many years and given a new identity in a new town. Aided by a supervisor who becomes like a father to him he finds a job and friends and hesitantly starts a relationship with a compassionate girl. But the secret of the heinous crime he committed as a boy weighs down on him, and he learns that it is not so easy to escape your past.

---

Plot Keywords:

new identity | child abuse | murder of a child | redemption | rehabilitation | 

---

Taglines:

They took his name so he could have a future.

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, sexuality, some disturbing content and brief drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Andrew Garfield.

---

Quotes

Jack Burridge: Jack.
Terry: What?
Jack Burridge: That's the name I want.
Terry: [slowly] Okay...
Jack Burridge: Jack.
Terry: Well, that's the first thing taken care of.

---

Connections

References Lost (2004)

---

Soundtracks

With Every Heartbeat
Performed by Robyn Carlsson (as Robyn) featuring Andreas Kleerup (as Kleerup)

User Reviews

beautiful and bleak

This movie hearkens back to the great working class British film dramas of the 1960s. Inspired, I believe, by an actual crime of about a decade ago, in which one child killed another child, the movie provocatively imagines the life of the killer many years afterward. At one point the protagonist is called a monster by a character who has never met him. I was reminded of the cover of a major news magazine at the time of the Columbine massacre, which featured a picture of the adolescent killers with the caption "monsters." I thought to myself that, however disturbed, these are still human beings more like than unlike the rest of us, and what does it say about the rest of us if we deny their humanity and refuse to look at the source of their disturbance? This is the very starting point of "Boy A" and the conclusions it reaches about "the rest of us" are bleak. This is a deeply, disturbingly sad movie. I found it intensely involving, and intensely moving. However, if you watch it, be prepared for a vision of humanity so dark that the most humane character in the story is a murderer.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 September 2008 (Singapore)

Also Known As:

A Rapaz

Filming Locations:

Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,024, 27 July 2008

Gross USA:

$113,662

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,202,375

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cuba Pictures, Film4

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1